"Ya got someone you can talk to....keep them....value them."

I do, do, and do! :-)

Jamie,

Don't worry about the pre vet students; as Sarah said only the best and the brightest are accepted into Vet school. Not a "stupid" one amongst them . I still think you are missing the point of your class; I may have to show up and audit it. Hang in there; there is something to learn.

In defense of the Vets; stupid? NEVER! You can not get through that training unless you are bright. But imagine this; an MD has general knowledge of human beings health and may study a particular area to specialize. A Vet has to have general knowledge of several species and can study a specialty but it is usually encompassing more than one species. That's a heck of a lot to know! I'm sure there are times as a client I might have more knowledge in a certain area (very small area) but I have the advantage to investigate and research the information which is pertinent to me. I don't have to know about a rabbit's anatomy or illnesses of a bird and what to feed my ferret.

And who would argue that when in doubt find the closest Vet school?

Vet care is a commodity; be a smart consumer and you will not have to deal with another "stupid" vet.

Overall I dislike the word stupid applied to anyone. It's judgemental and does not take into account the other person's experiences that formed their knowledge. Also I resemble that word on so many levels and would hate to be judged accordingly.

I am very grateful for the 2 vets that I use for my dogs & cat.

My 'regular' vet is great vet,great with my dogs,even though thankfully not often needed to be seen. She is knowledgable, very patient(especially with my male) & willingly supports my choice of a raw diet (that she is onboard with as long as she knows that you are knowledgable about feeding it porperly,but doesn't promote it openly as she has see the results of people feeding raw badly). She is accepting of my decision on vaccinations, which is VERY minimal, with out protest & does not push me into anything that I am not confortable with, EVER. She is always willing to discuss things with me. I NEVER feel rushed when I have an appointment with her,no matter how busy she is.

I did not just 'run across' her. I researched & then spent almost an hour on the phone with her (which most vets would not do & without charge) discussing my feelings about diet, vaccinations & my working dogs, before ever stepping foot into her office. I have since recommended her to many others.

My chiro/accupuncture/holistic vet came highly recommended to me by another chiro vet that worked many years on my horse (but did not herself see dogs in her practice). I have to travel 1 1/2 hrs one way to see her if she is not going to be seeing patients down in this area(she travels to treat horses in my area). I travel to her gladly if I need to. She is wonderful, helped my dog be able to resume 'work' after an injury, keeps my dogs chiro healthy & has exteneded many curtisies to me over the almost 3 years that I have been with her.

My dogs & I are very blessed & grateful to have these 2 wonderful vets in our lives.

It's kind of ironic but the times I have changed vets has not been because of the vets but normally because of their staff.

One place two appointments in a a row I had to ask a staff member to make sure the other dogs were leashed. And they had an office cat that just did not sit well with my dogs.

The local vet I use now, I just use for routine and puppy stuff. I like her and would probably use her more but her staff are not all comfortable with German Shepherds and it shows. I had a tech there give me a hard time about using a prong until I demonstrated it on her arm. I was ok with that, at least she was attempting to advocate for dogs.

The vet I use for serious possibly painful stuff, xrays, and whelping stuff is 60 miles away but I love him. He also treats most of the local canine units so his staff is use to handling working dogs and that goes a long way.

I've never really had a problem with a vet, and I question them a lot and while I learn a lot from them I like to think that once in a while they learn something from me. I am not shy about going to appointments with printed material either and have found all my vets open to that. I think a few of Connie's links have ended up in my vet appointments.

My husband, who is a surgeon, complains about low empathy and work ethic in the young surgeons he trains. They don't want to work the hours that he did as a resident/intern, and seem to lack total commitment to the job. Not all, of course.
Perhaps there's been a shift in the level of dedication people feel toward their chosen fields these days.

Off Topic:

 Quote: tracy collins

Amen.

Interesting story: for a few years, I was a "standardized patient" for a medical school where a friend of mine is an instructor. I had a script to follow, and residents would come into the exam room to do a history and physical and then write up a report on my "case"---and I got to do a report on each of them and how they did.

What this experience taught me was that not all medical professionals have the same skills or intellect. In fact there are more "bad" than "good" ones. This revelation actually came as a surprise to me. Before this, I guess I assumed that all physicians were given the same training--they all know the same stuff, right? Big wrong. These were young people about to get MDs from one of the top medical schools.

Were you a standardized patient for medical student or residents? You state that residents would examine you, but that these residents didn't have MDs. When in fact all residents have MDs. A 3rd/4th/5th year resident knows a vast of knowledge more than a 1st year medical student when it pertains to how to communicate, diagnose and treat patients. Accordingly, the expectation for each is different.


On Topic:

Science is an ever changing field, with often conflicting research findings. The information deemed as facts are things that have been tested over and over again by different people with the same conclusive outcome. The information in gray areas are things that are hard to study/prove, or things that don't have conclusive findings. Vet professionals will do what they can with the current knowledge.

The evidence for and against raw or kibble, or benefits/harm of vaccines is inconclusive, in the gray area. It is ignorant to have absolute faith in one side of the argument or the other, and to preach to others uncertain truth.

Those that are close minded are the most at risk for ignorance and mistakes.

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

My husband, who is a surgeon, complains about low empathy and work ethic in the young surgeons he trains. They don't want to work the hours that he did as a resident/intern, and seem to lack total commitment to the job. Not all, of course.
Perhaps there's been a shift in the level of dedication people feel toward their chosen fields these days.

You know, older generations always seem to think the younger generation is lazy, immoral, stupid, etc As a female medical student and aspiring orthopedic surgeon, I appreciate the growing acceptance for mothers in the medical professions. I do not think my desire to have and raise children (ie. work less, ie. perceived laziness) will affect my surgical abilities, and the impact I have on my patients. But what do I know, I'm just a lowly med student .

Congrats on your studies, Michele. And fresh comments.

Kudos to you Lynne, that's why I love ya!

I have had the same vet for over thirty years. They have been with me through thick and thin, saw me through some hard times too, financially. Midnight calls, holidays, freezing cold. They come to my house for my St., Moe because he has such a hard time getting in and out of my truck (hips).
Do I always agree with them? No, but we work it out. Sometimes I get aggravated with the younger staff, but I guess that's just my old age showing. In the end, I trust them implicitly to do what is best for my pet. They listen to me and make me feel like a part of the decision for my pets care.

I can remember with my first horse (many years ago} there was a serious outbreak of EEE in my area. My vet worked day and night to innoculate as many horses as possible and literally passed out from exhaustion!

To lump in that most vets are "stupid" is tantamonunt to saying that most people have the education and life experience as their vets, they don't!